'And Just Like That...' Has Its Friskiest Episode Yet

My jaw dropped and I started tapping my notes in ALL CAPS during this bedroom scene. Mostly just WOW WOW WOW. I kind of figured this was heading toward a threesome when they all were sharing the bed, so I was waiting for Lyle, Che's ex, to pop his head up and start feeling on Che. And I still screamed when it happened! The charley horse moment was funny to me, though I was kind of expecting Miranda to get pushed out of the bed since Lyle and Che were really getting to it. But I think that happened in the original, when Samantha and Richard (James Remar) had a threesome, and the other young woman ended up on the floor. — Erin

I was honestly surprised that Che didn’t run with Miranda’s go-ahead to continue the romp without her. They’ve been pretty selfish in this relationship; I get whiplash whenever they’re actually a considerate person! I mean, minutes before that, Che shut down Miranda’s concerns about the threesome and told her she was ruining the sexy vibes by sharing her immediate reaction to it. I just don’t get how Miranda feels safe or truly seen in this relationship. — Lydia

I’m really enjoying the addition of Oliver Hudson as Lyle this season. He’s an interesting mix of John Corbett’s Aidan, a California surfer and one of the guys that our girls would date and discard — the Manhattan Guy, Mr. Pussy, et al. — from those early, grittier seasons of "SATC." He also has a natural ease with Che that Miranda, thus far, seems to lack. Also, the notion of Miranda being invited to join a threesome was a fun throwback to the very first season of "SATC," when she feels left out because she’s the only one whom a friend hasn't asked for a trio. — Curtis

Let’s just hear it one time for the two legendary guest stars in this episode, Billy Dee Williams and Gloria Steinem. (Obviously, Candice Bergen is also a legend, but she’s been in the "SATC" world for a while.) Williams portrays Lisa’s dad, and while I LOVED how much he bigged up his daughter, his shade toward his son-in-law was brutal. In many ways, it seems like the couple’s parents are fueling some of the Wexleys’ marriage issues, but it's not clear where that will go. Is anyone else thinking that Herb’s mom and Lisa’s dad might end up hooking up? They’re both annoying and need some love. — Erin

I have to laugh a bit at Carrie, who proudly declared in Season 3 of the original series that she wasn’t even registered to vote, fawning over Gloria Steinem. But hey, it’s been 20-something years; maybe our girl has had some growth. — Lydia

The thought of Herb’s mom and Lisa’s dad hooking up absolutely crossed my mind, Erin! Charlotte’s prickly relationship with her first mother-in-law, Bunny MacDougal (Frances Sternhagen), in the original "SATC" gave us some memorable moments, so maybe she’ll become a mediator of sorts given the issues the Wexleys are having here. Meanwhile, I’d like to add Victor Garber to the “legends” category, and I was excited to see him make an understated appearance as gallerist Mark Kasabian. Hopefully he’ll pop up again, too, as I’d love to see how Charlotte would fare in returning to the art world after so much time away. — Curtis

You’re so right, Curtis! I loveee Victor Garber too. He played Simon Stern, a vicious, mega-rich businessman, on the original “Power” series, so it felt nice to see him laid-back here. — Erin

It still seems like a lot is not being said, or shown, about what’s really going on in Herbert and Lisa Todd Wexley’s marriage. They both work a lot and love their family, but the connection feels off to me. I kind of need them to have an argument so I can figure out the tension. They’re both super ambitious, and at the very least, it seems like work might be getting in the way. Clearly, with Lisa announcing that Herbert is indeed running for comptroller, that’s not going to get any better from here. All I know is that I’m tired of Herbert’s mom’s attitude! Eunice Wexley (played by Pat Bowie) is exhausting. — Erin

You’re so right, Erin. They need to have an argument and state their issues out loud! I don’t really understand what the writers want us to make of their relationship. I am obsessed with LTW as a character, and I think Herb is hot, but I’m not all that excited to watch their drama unfold. This whole thing feels like a plot we’ve seen play out on a million other shows.

Also, the gimmick of them forgetting to send out the invitations, resulting in an empty party, just reeked of “We blew the casting budget on getting Kim Cattrall to come back for one scene.” — Lydia

Forgetting to send out the invitations and forgetting to order the cake for a formal anniversary party you’ve presumably been planning for months? I think the Wexleys are great characters, but... I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough to get behind that gimmick. — Curtis

Finally, a storyline I can get with for Charlotte. One thing about Charlotte that I love (and sorta identify with) is that when there’s a problem, she’s gonna quickly make a plan to solve it. She’s also a pretty particular person, so I kind of gasped when she asked Harry to... finish on her tits. I didn’t exactly know how that next moment was gonna play out on screen, but I thought it was a fun moment for her to take to the brunch crew to dissect the issue. I’ve been loving the conversations that happen with the crew — this time, Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Anthony — about their dating, sex and relationship woes. And the writing in this scene was great. Anthony saying “Don’t cum-slut-shame her” was a great line. — Erin

Is it just me, or has Charlotte low-key always been the most sexually open one of these girls? Samantha (Kim Cattrall) obviously put it all out there, but Charlotte was always willing to try new things in the bedroom and debrief with the girls. I love scenes where she lets loose and, well, talks about jizz at brunch with her friends. This really felt like old “Sex and the City." Is that too much to ask from this show? — Lydia

The old “Sex and the City” was at its best when it showed us that sex isn’t always, well, sexy. This scene felt like a great throwback to the “funky spunk” episode from Season 3, one of Samantha’s most iconic moments. It was hilarious and legitimately sweet to see Charlotte talk dirty and coach Harry through Kegels. — Curtis

OK, so I have thought too deeply about the final scene, where Enid sees a dick pic on Carrie’s phone while looking at the photos of them with Gloria Steinem. Bitsy von Muffling (Julie Halston) had been trying to hook up her ex Marlon with Carrie — and he was definitely, let's say, an over-sharer very early on. Anyway, I feel like in reality, that dick pic would not have shown up there as Enid swiped, because Carrie didn’t save the pic to her phone. Why would a photo from a text message from someone else appear there? I’m just sayin'... I had to suspend disbelief for a second. Or am I uninformed about how my iPhone works?

I do hope Enid — who, if I remember correctly, is very much a hater — still promoted Carrie’s book, even though her boyfriend apparently thinks he has community penis. — Erin

I think sometimes, photos that people send you get saved to your camera roll, so that might explain it. But can we talk about how weird this dick pic was? Why was the background black like it was taken in a studio portrait session? Why was the photo taken in profile, likely requiring another set of hands working the camera? I simply cannot wrap my head around the circumstances surrounding this dick pic photo shoot. — Lydia

Being able to identify your partner’s dick pic after just a brief glance? That takes skill! — Curtis

OK, is it just me or was Steve (David Eigenberg) looking HOT while working out on that punching bag in that one scene? I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Steve, even though the show is not about him at all. But it’d be great to see more of that buff chest on my screen every week. With Miranda sleeping on the couch in their house, it felt like a little callback to when she and Steve first broke up and Steve was on the couch until he found an apartment.

Anyway, the real Steve-Miranda storyline of the episode is that they're still married, technically, and still live together. At therapy, Brady (Niall Cunningham) basically tells the therapist (Adina Verson) that his mom is not actually being who she really is. And, well, I’m so glad he called that out. In therapy, Miranda is SILENT, and it was so weird to see. Eventually, she confides in Carrie that she’s stayed silent because of her guilt about cheating on Steve — which, sure, I get that. But I just want to see Miranda speak her mind and wrap things up with Steve. Let that man move on. — Erin

Steve was, in fact, looking hot. I’m glad he’s punishing Miranda a bit by giving her the cold shoulder and hitting his punching bag early in the morning. It’s honestly beyond generous of him to let her even stay in the house. But then he volunteered to move out into an apartment closer to his bar? Steve, you’re being too nice. — Lydia

After the writers did Steve real dirty last season, I’m glad that his first appearance in Season 2 has him — as you’ve both pointed out — looking HOT. I’m also grateful that we’re getting to see more of how he and Miranda are navigating the split, because it seemed to be wrapped up way too neatly last season. You can’t just end a relationship of 20-plus years without consequence, especially since there’s a kid involved! Interesting that Miranda seemed so puzzled by Che and Lyle (Oliver Hudson) still being married, when she herself has yet to fully end things with Steve. — Curtis

So Carrie runs into her former boss Enid (Candice Bergen), whom she worked with at Vogue. Apparently, Enid was laid off at Condé Nast (too relatable) and is starting an online magazine for aging women. Ultimately, they each want something from the other: Carrie wants a mention of her book in Enid’s very popular newsletter, and Enid wants Carrie to contribute to the magazine, Vivant. Shoutout to Seema (Sarita Choudhury), who had the perfect advice for Carrie: “Don't be afraid to be transactional; Enid is a work contact, not a gal pal!” True.

I loved how this story played out with the reveal at the end. Carrie had been hemming and hawing the whole episode about writing for the magazine because she didn’t fit in Enid’s age group, and Enid just wanted Carrie to open her pocketbook. That exchange at the end with the photos — more on that later — was such a fun moment. The truth is, Carrie is an aging woman, and I bet she could write a column for that magazine that’d be helpful for other women like her. I guess she is living large off Big’s money, but writers write! Get to it, Carrie. — Erin

Carrie was always Big’s younger wife (well, not as young as Natasha), and I think that without him to compare herself against, she’s feeling more confronted by her age. These are the times I really miss the voice-over from the original series, because I’d love to get more inside Carrie’s head here. — Lydia

Great points. I’ve always loved Enid and Carrie’s at-times adversarial relationship, and how, even after all these years of working together (and a personal entanglement or two), Carrie still holds her former boss in high regard and respects her as a strong journalistic voice. I, too, thought Carrie shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the notion of writing for Vivant, as it could help her reach a new demographic and those readers would benefit from her insight. The best writers know how to pivot when necessary! — Curtis